Festivals are gradually starting in Quebec, but don’t expect the usual crowd surfing or dance pits. The red, orange, and yellow zones will be allowed to host festivals with up to 250 people starting on 21st May in outdoor amphitheaters.
Nathalie Roy, the minister responsible for culture, said it’s good news for the audience and artists in the province. He said that it is just a privilege to be together but added not to expect it to feel normal.
“Don’t expect it to feel like normal, but all the essential ingredients will still be there. We’ll have the privilege to be together, with some distance, and see the artists.”
Roy added that masks in outdoor sitting are still mandatory. Sittings and distancing will also depend on the region status or the phase of reopening.
The Jazz Festival holds its edition in September 2021 in different stages set on streets. At that time, Roy says that more normal-seeming festivals with bigger capacity can be possible depending on the vaccination target.
The same rules will apply to drive-in theatres with up to 400 cars. Indoor stadiums in all regions in the province will be permitted to host 2500 people separated by sections.
“The audience should be subdivided into independent sections, each with a limit of 250 people and having sanitary facilities as well as independent entry and exits points.”
Family bubbles within the audience need to stay two meters from other bubbles except for the yellow and green zone, where the distance is 1.5 meters. The rules for festivals will remain until the rest week of June. Then, new rules for the rest of the summer.
The province plans to provide venue markings outline to help in maintaining distance from other bubbles or sections. Venues are expected to prepare an exit system so that people don’t have to rush to the exit altogether.